outsmart

verb

out·​smart ˌau̇t-ˈsmärt 

outsmarted; outsmarting; outsmarts

transitive verb

: to get the better of

especially : outwit

outsmarted their attackers and escaped unharmed

Synonyms of outsmart

• outwit
• thwart
• outmaneuver
• deceive
• defeat
• overcome
• outfox
• fool
• outthink

Examples of outsmart in a Sentence

The government must gather large amounts of information in order to outsmart its enemies.

an inexpensive security system that would likely be outsmarted by anyone with a serious interest in circumventing it

Recent Examples on the Web

But, at the same time, the car’s computing system that controls electrical deployment is trying to outsmart them. — Luke Smith, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026

At a certain point, people won’t be able to outsmart advanced AI anymore; this is not just another opinion. — Tim Bajarin, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

The problem, according to Hinton, is that humans will no longer be able to rely on outsmarting super-intelligent AI models. — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026

This disease did not retreat because the bacterium weakened or because humanity outsmarted it. — Katrine L. Wallace, The Conversation, 29 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for outsmart

• apart
• depart
• flowchart
• forepart
• impart
• pushcart
• rampart
• redstart
• restart
• subpart
• sweetheart
• upstart

Kids Definition

outsmart

verb

out·​smart (ˈ)au̇t-ˈsmärt 

: outwit